Later that night, after Skye and Jason had gorged themselves on good food, they were shown up to their rooms with the promise that Myles would be up to talk to them soon. Their rooms had been placed across the hall from each other, and once Jason was finished inspecting his own he crossed the hall to wait for Myles with Skye.

"Hey," he said shyly when she opened the door. For a moment they stood in silence, and Jason shifted his feet nervously. "Myles hasn't shown up yet, has he?" he finally blurted out, feeling stupid.

"No...he should be here soon though..." Skye said, staring uncertainly up at Jason. "Come on in, we should go ahead and figure out what we need to ask him so that we don't forget anything when the time comes."

Jason smiled in relief. "Alright, sounds good."

For the next hour they went through all the possible questions they could ask him, especially the ones that might lead to a clue as how they had gotten into Tortall. They were still eagerly discussing the possibilities when a knock sounded and a harried-looking Myles strode into the room.

"Sorry it took me so long, I had forgotten how..." He stopped and made a face. "Now what's the word for...oh yes! Demanding! I had forgotten how demanding it is to house a whole regiment."

Skye and Jason stared at him curiously for a moment before he realized why. "I haven't spoken your language in years," he explained, taking a seat in a chair by the window. "I do my best to stay fresh in all tounges, but it can be hard."

"And how many is 'all'?" Jason asked, unable to resist.

Myles grinned sheepishly. "Approximately eleven."

Jason's eyes widened in surprise. "Eleven?! Holy sh-"

Skye jabbed him in the ribs before he could finish. "Watch your mouth!" she commanded, glaring at him.

He stared at her in disbelief. "Did you not hear what he just said?"

She sighed. "Of course I heard. Still, your comment was unneeded."

Myles chuckled. "So, young ones...where should we begin?"

"How do you know English? And why are we here?" Skye began quickly. "We should have time enough for the story now, I would hope."

"I was afraid that would be one of your first questions," Myles said, shaking his head. He leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, gathering his thoughts. "You have to realize that I haven't told this story to anyone...anyone. Not even Alanna, or Eleni, my wife – I don't think they would ever understand. But you two, you just might." He took in a ragged breath and gripped the arms of his chair nervously.

He's a mess, Skye thought in amazement. A complete mess.

Suddenly Myles shook his head and let out a weak laugh. "I hate when the gods do this! I'm married and settled down now, for Mithros' sake. But I suppose even that isn't enough to keep the gods from meddling..." He smiled dejectedly. "I'm sorry, I must sound like a lunatic. I just thought my part was played out."

"You don't have to tell us this now," Skye put in, unsettled by his behavior. "We can wait. As you said, we'll have plenty of time to hear it."

Myles just shook his head. "I appreciate it, but I must tell you now. It's already begun. The wheels of fate take their own path."

Skye and Jason exchanged apprehensive glances.

Oblivious, Myles continued. "Gods, this is complicated. I guess I should just start from the beginning. You see, this all began many years ago when a powerful mage named Ivan Mynar was visiting in Carthak. He was different from any other mage, however, in that he had a remarkably strong Sight that enabled him to see past the boundaries of the world his friends and fellow mages claimed to know. For years he insisted that a sort of parallel universe existed in conjunction with the known realms, but no one ever took him seriously. Frustrated, he rashly decided to pull someone from this separate universe into his own as proof. Several years later he successfully transferred someone into Tortall..."

"Others have been brought here too?" Jason interrupted. "Where are they now? How did..." Skye gave him a gentle kick and ignored his over-dramatic sigh.

"This story has been a long time in the making," Myles said quietly, unfazed by the interruption. "The first people brought here are long gone by now. But where was I? Oh yes, Mynar. With the success of his so-called experiment, he enjoyed instant celebrity. It wasn't long, though, before strange people began to appear at irregular intervals – at anywhere from the space of a few months to a decade. No one doubted where they were from, but Mynar had long since promised to never bring anyone back. In the end, evidence suggested a sort of side effect, or echo, resulting from Mynar's original experiment. I won't go into detail, but our mages never figured out how to stop it, and some years ago I came across a victim of this "echo", which has come to be called the Mynar Pull."

He paused, suddenly overcome with sadness. "She was an amazing woman. She spent years here at Olau under my care, teaching me your language and telling me of your realm in return for a place to stay where she could remain unnoticed. She also kept the house in working order during my days of teaching at the palace. The ironic thing is that she knew the one language you speak...what if you had come from China? Or Ger-...Germany, is it? I recall her mentioning the great magnitude of difference between the languages of your world. I don't know why, but for some reason the gods made sure you were thrown into this mess with someone who understands you."

Jason and Skye sat in silence for a moment, dumbfounded. "Is she still here? Have any of these people been sent back?" Skye finally asked, fearing the worst.

"Yes, our most powerful mages have been taught how to deal with it. Numair knows best of all. And she...well, she didn't want to go back, but I made her in the end. I knew from the moment I found Tammy on Tortallan soil that her future did not lie here, just as mine does not lie in your world. It wasn't easy to make that decision, though."

Jason looked up. "Tammy?"

"That was her name," Myles said with a nod, eyes still distant. "Good old Tammy."

Skye frowned. "I still don't understand...why were Jason and I brought together? We weren't anywhere near each other - all we did was read Mr. Trebond's books."

Myles leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Well, to make a long story short, Tammy wrote several books about the people here before she left. She had every intention of sharing her stories with others when she went back to your world, even if it would only be seen as fantasy. By that time Numair had discovered a way to focus the energy of the Pull, and when he heard about Tammy's plans he placed a spell on several of her books. Now only the people who read those books are ever affected by the Mynar Pull, and they can be chosen carefully."

"Why let anyone read them at all? And why choose us?" Jason pressed, eyes blazing. "Are you saying Mr. Trebond sent us here on purpose?"

For the first time that night, Myles grinned. "Maybe."

Skye was still sitting quietly, her mouth slightly open. "You're friends with Tamora Pierce?" she squeaked.

Suddenly Jason and Myles burst into laughter, and Skye soon joined in. She still had questions, but she had the feeling that Myles had given them enough for the night. Before long, everyone submitted to a fit of yawns and decided to delay their discussion until the morning.

After Jason and Myles left, Skye sat by her window for several hours, listening to the wind outside and watching as the moon rose over the distant treetops. She knew in her heart there were decisions she would need to make soon that would change her life, and Jason's life, forever. Neither of them had known it would be such an easy task to send them back, and now that she was here she wasn't sure if she really wanted to leave yet.

Just as she was beginning to think she wouldn't get any sleep, a calming voice entered her mind. "Whatever lies ahead will come in its own time. For now, little one, get your sleep." A cool hand touched her forehead, and for a moment she was startled by the immense purity and gentleness in its touch. Then she fell thankfully into a deep, untroubled sleep, and the world faded into blackness.

Author's Note: A little hard to believe, yes, but bear with me. Pretty much every other base has been covered in regards to this type of story ;)